trevordayschool

At Trevor, early childhood classes are "a magical time, filled with wonder, humor, curiosity, and discovery. is age brings powerful social growth, first friendships, imaginative games, recurring jokes, spontaneous hugs, laughter, tears, whispers, shouts, and gasps of excitement. In short, early childhood is nothing less than a microcosm of the human experience, fueled by the fathomless energy of the heart." Nursery teacher Jonah Dragan's eloquent description of the early childhood experience speaks volumes about these foundational grades and the devoted professionals who lead them. e children are on an immersive first step in an ongoing N–12 school and curriculum. "A school that spans a wide range of ages has a wonderful opportunity for connection," Mr. Dragan explains. "Younger students can catch a glimpse of where they're going, and they may start to feel excitement for all of the wonderful things they have to look forward to." Fellow Nursery teacher Eugenia Nascimento agrees: "e curriculum is connected vertically from Nursery through 12th grade, providing a shared learning experience with siblings and older buddy classes." Pre-K teacher Jenny Golanka adds, "Attending an ongoing school is akin to being raised in a large family. Young children see older children performing certain grade-level rites and traditions, and they imagine themselves inheriting those roles someday." Plus, "they are exposed to the diversity of experiences that the entire school community participates in, such as publishing parties, the art show, assemblies, MiniTerm, and more," points out Kindergarten teacher Laura Kuske. From the get-go, "they are excited to be a part of that larger community." is image is only one of hundreds of examples: In February 2020, a Pre-K student learned how to make ice cream, taught by a 10th grader, for whom it was also a uniquely fun chemistry lesson! Not surprisingly, all of Trevor's early childhood teachers are captivated by the special qualities of 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds. Minea Good, who teaches Pre-K, summarizes why this age group is so special: "Young people are endlessly discovering. ey are discovering themselves, relationships, and processing the world around them and what it has to offer. e world in a Trevor early childhood classroom is full of possibilities: We are engineers, mathematicians, scientists, artists, and letter experts, all in one day. Our children are learning how to build relationships outside of their family unit; it's amazing to witness the care, kindness, thoughtful conversation, and actions that grow each day in each classroom." Such a range of interactions, she claims, "ultimately empowers each child, knowing that their actions, words, and ideas matter." Kindergarten teacher Claudia Folgar goes even further, contending that "everything we need to know in order to become confident, empathic world citizens can be learned in Kindergarten. In addition to building-block academics [reading, writing, math, social studies, science], children learn how to be good listeners, how to solve conflicts, how to manage good and difficult friendships, how to share, and how to verbally express and speak up for themselves." When asked how they build academic skills for these three grade levels, all of the head teachers zeroed in on the importance of inquiry-based learning. Ms. T R E V O R T R A N S L AT E S : lower school: early childhood program by Nursery, Pre-K, and Kindergarten Teachers as told to Diane Quinn, Director of Publications 1 6 T R E V O R D AY S C H O O L n S U M M E R 2 0 2 0 – 2 0 2 1

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